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Russia says obtained papers confirming US shifting ‘unlawful’ bioresearch labs to Africa

Daily SF News — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 18:44:38 +0000

Russia says it has obtained papers that confirm the United States is moving its “illegal” bioresearch laboratories to Africa.

In February 2022, the Russian Defense Ministry discovered the existence of 30 Pentagon-funded biological research laboratories in Ukraine. Back then, Russia said the laboratories were only a small part of a global network of over 300 similar facilities.

The Defense Ministry, on Monday, citing documents that had been obtained from the Pentagon, said the US is transferring dual-purpose biological research activities to the Black continent.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who leads the Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, said the move is in response to Moscow’s efforts to expose Washington’s illegal military-biological operations. He also cited the worsening “epidemic situation near bio-sites in the European region.”

“The documents at our disposal confirm the activities of key Pentagon contractors on the African continent – in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Uganda, and South Africa. Customers on the part of the US government are the DTRA [Defense Threat Reduction Agency], the National Security Agency, and the US Department of State,” Kirillov said.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the US of plotting biological warfare against Russia and other countries.

Last year, Russia’s representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council Moscow had discovered at least 30 Ukrainian laboratories engaged in disease research, including anthrax and cholera, funded and supervised by the States. In May, State Duma Deputy Speaker Irina Yarovaya expressed concern over Washington’s interest in biological weapons, describing it as a highly concealed and unpredictable form of mass destruction that could become a global issue.

The US government denies these activities. However, Robert Kennedy Jr., a famous US politician, as well as other US politicians, confirmed that the American military apparatus is running numerous biological laboratories across the globe to produce banned military-grade weaponry.

The Russian Defense Ministry says the Pentagon is working to create and operate a network of dual-use biological laboratories around the world (in Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia). The program includes over 400 bioresearch facilities.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry reiterated its previous concerns about “unauthorized” sample collection by Metabiota, which it referred to as a “key Pentagon contractor” during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

According to Kirillov, the company’s lack of transparency, which prompted concerns from the World Health Organization, resulted in the illegal export of live Ebola virus samples to the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infections.

“Predictable deterioration of the disease situation near American bio-sites is forcing the governments of many African states to take another look at the necessity and expediency of cooperation with the United States. For example, in 2022, Metabiota operations in Africa were terminated because the company’s illegal practices raised too many questions at the level of national governments,” Kirillov said.

The San Francisco-based Metabiota was a partner in the $200 million USAID-funded “Predict” epidemiological research project, which concluded in 2019.

Several reports, including one by the Associated Press in 2016, claimed that during the 2014 Ebola outbreak the company made a series of “costly” mistakes in its efforts to combat the disease in Sierra Leone.

On February 24, 2022, the staff working at Pentagon-funded biolaboratories in Ukraine revealed they had conducted the emergency disposal of particularly dangerous pathogens, namely, plague, anthrax, tularemia and cholera, alongside other deadly diseases.

Before Russian troops launched the military campaign in Donbas in February 2022, then US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland had voiced concern over the materials developed at the Pentagon-funded biolaboratories.

Testifying at a Congressional hearing at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US Senate in 2022, Nuland confirmed there were facilities in Ukraine that did research in the field of biology.

Nuland said the Department of State was “concerned that the Russian military may be trying to take control of them,” and is working with Ukraine to ensure that Kiev can “prevent any of these research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces.”

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Substitute airplane for Air India flight lands in San Francisco after being diverted to Russia | Information

Daily SF News — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 09:54:03 +0000

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San Francisco-Sure Air India Flight Makes Emergency Touchdown In Russia

Daily SF News — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 07:34:04 +0000

The United States said Tuesday it was closely monitoring the situation after an Air India flight bound for San Francisco in Russia made an emergency landing.

Flight AI173 from Delhi was diverted to Magadan in Russia on Tuesday due to engine failure, the Tata Group private airline said in a statement last night. The flight with 216 passengers and 16 crew members landed safely.

“We are aware of a flight to the US that made an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor the situation closely. I cannot confirm how many U.S. citizens were on board the flight at the time,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news briefing.

“It was a flight going to the United States. Therefore, it is of course likely that American citizens are on board. There are public reports from Air India that, as far as I know, they are sending a replacement aircraft there. “The goal is to let passengers continue on their route, but I would leave it up to the airline to talk about it further,” replied Patel on a question.

“Given the infrastructural limitations surrounding the remote airport, we can confirm that after making serious attempts to accommodate passengers in on-site hotels with the help of local government authorities, all passengers were eventually transferred to temporary accommodation,” the media statement said .

“Since we have no Air India staff stationed in the remote city of Magadan or in Russia, ground assistance to passengers in this unusual situation is best possible through our 24/7 connection with the Consulate General of India in Vladivostok, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Government of India), local ground handlers and the Russian authorities,” the statement said.

Pending necessary regulatory approvals, a ferry flight is scheduled to operate from Mumbai, India (BOM) to GDX on June 7, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. IST, which would take passengers and crew of AI173 onward to San Francisco, the statement said .

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San Francisco’s ‘Little Russia’ companies feeling main impression of the warfare greater than 6,000 miles away from Ukraine

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 09:03:18 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — More than 6,000 miles from Ukraine, Alex Miretsky is feeling the waves of the war all the way in San Francisco.

“Some Americans call. Some angry people and they say something like ‘are you proud to be Russian now?’ Or ‘get all the Russian products off the shelves’,” said Miretsky.

His store “Europa Plus” is a safe haven for East Europeans in the Bay Area, but since the war, it’s also become a target for some people who are demanding that Russian products should be taken off the shelves.

“One was complaining about Saint Petersburg products. Another one was asking me if I’m proud to be Russian. I explained that I don’t feel like I’m Russian,” said Miretsky and added, “I’m a Jew who emigrated from Russia in 1987. I left Russia but I was raised in Ukraine for the first five years of my life.”

RELATED: San Francisco chef cooks up support for Ukraine, 6,200 miles away from home

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

He walked us through his store and showed us the diversity in his products. Ironically, Ukraine and Russian sweets are next to each other. They’ve always been.

“It was not an issue at all. It was all in the same region. The same people. The families are interconnected and people live in both places like I did,” said Miretsky.

Two blocks down from “Europa Plus” is “Moscow & Tbilisi” Bakery. They are being asked to remove the word “Russian” from their advertising.

RELATED: Romanian family helps 600 Ukrainian refugees find shelter and food: Here’s how you can help

Turns out, the owner is from Georgia. Regardless of the name, several employees said the flag on the front window is clear. They support Ukraine.

“Business men who open business for example 20 years ago. They are not in charge. They move to the country and according to the Russian propaganda is the main enemy, America. If they live in the enemy state, how can they be representative for Russia right now? It’s completely different,” said Russian refugee, Daniel Korennoi.

Korennoi supports Ukraine. He fled Russia exactly a week ago in fear for his life.

RELATED: As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee country, Bay Area nonprofits prepare for refugees

“If I stayed there in my city, I would attend meeting, but it’s really dangerous because I can be caught easily by the police,” said Korennoi.

Miretsky said he doesn’t want to stop selling the Russian products at “Europa Plus” because he is buying them from local businesses in Eastern Europe who have nothing to do with the war.

Take a look at the latest updates on the Ukraine-Russia war.

The historical past of the San Francisco enclave that got here to be often known as Little Russia

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 22:00:37 +0000

Boris Fudym’s eyes light up with mischief as he sifts through a cooler in the back of his shop on 21st and Geary Boulevard. Retrieving a chilled red and yellow can from one of the shelves, he holds it up to me. I can’t read the language on the label, but it resembles a pint of beer. He raises his eyebrows, egging me on.

“If you try it, I’ll tell you what it is,” the proprietor of New World Market tells me. Noticing my apprehension — it’s just after noon on a Thursday, and I’m on the clock, after all — he adds, “It’s not alcoholic.”

Hunched over jars of pickled vegetables and preserves in the cramped aisle, he pours some of the fermented brown liquid into a plastic cup, and I take a sip. It’s sweeter than I expected — almost kombucha-like, with a hint of bitterness, a slight effervescence and a tangy aftertaste. It sort of reminds me of iced tea, but it’s actually kvass — a drink Fudym tells me is very popular in Russia and is one he always makes sure to keep in stock.

The secret ingredient? Rye bread.

“Imagine drinking this on a hot summer day,” says Fudym, downing his own cup and taking my blue shopping basket. “Come on, I’ll show you more.”

Boris Fudym, owner of New World Market and Hermitage Banquet Hall, stands in front of produce bins at his legacy business in an area of the Richmond that has come to be known as Little Russia.

Amanda Bartlett/SFGATE

He greets his customers by name, recommending a brand of caviar cream to one of them as we weave past rows of frozen pelmeni, bagged lentils and buckwheat. In another corner of the store, there’s freshly baked breads, homemade sausages, beet-filled vinaigrette, chocolate bars and a display of seven different varieties of sunflower seeds. The aroma of smoked herring wafts through the air as we approach the delicatessen counter, where Fudym points out some of New World Market’s most popular dishes. There’s crispy, pan-fried blinchiki — crepes filled with a savory-sweet twaróg cheese that the market prepares in-house, usually served with a side of sour cream and coffee in the morning, and melt-in-your-mouth syrniki pancakes. Juicy shashlik made with pork and lamb glistens from a plate, waiting to be skewered and served with seared vegetables.

He pauses in front of an olivier salad with potatoes, minced chicken, carrots, pickles and peas: “No New Year’s celebration would be complete without this,” he says. “Two days before the holiday, we’ll sell 300 or 400 pounds of it.”

Pastries filled with twaróg at Cinderella Bakery and Cafe in the Richmond District of San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Fudym leads me past the kitchen, where cooks are preparing trays of a beef roulade called zrazy, and down a narrow hallway to the adjacent Hermitage Banquet Hall, a popular event space boasting high, marbled ceilings and painted tapestries. Prior to the pandemic, weddings, birthdays and other special occasions were often celebrated here, with families arriving around 6 p.m. to eat, drink, talk and dance for hours, usually not leaving until after midnight. It’s clearly a source of pride for Fudym, who has carved out a modern social hub in this enclave of the Richmond District for the Russian-speaking community that has been around for decades.

“It’s like a little home,” he said of the marketplace and adjoining event space. “People know they can come to us if they’re looking for a certain ingredient that reminds them of home. Sometimes people just find information and disseminate it. In addition to a store, we serve as a starting point for a lot of people in the neighborhood. They don’t know what to do or where to go, and we try to accommodate them and give them jobs where we can. It’s like a smaller community, where we keep helping each other to succeed.”

The Holy Virgin Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church, is a focal point of what has come to be known as Little Russia in the Richmond District of San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Scores of Russian immigrants have been coming to San Francisco since as early as the 1860s, with about 6,000 to 10,000 people constituting the first large wave that arrived in the city between 1918 and 1940 following the Russian Civil War and Bolshevik Revolution, according to Nina Bogdan, a historian and co-author of “Russian San Francisco.” Many settled in the Fillmore because the neighborhood not only had an existing Russian Jewish community but was also not far from the city’s first — and at the time, the only — Russian Orthodox cathedral, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, which is still on Green Street to this day (The original church on Powell Street was destroyed in a fire after the 1906 earthquake, and the new location was established three years later.)

Many were impoverished by the time they came to San Francisco, arriving with “only the clothes on their backs and a single suitcase, if that,” Bogdan said. The Great Depression exacerbated these already challenging circumstances, but as time passed, the economic situation of many Russians did improve. They went to school and obtained degrees that allowed them to seek out higher-paying jobs, and by the late 1930s, many began to set out for the Richmond, where developers were constructing apartment buildings and single-family homes that they could now afford.

Bogdan said most people aren’t aware of the history of Russians in the Fillmore because when the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency declared the neighborhood as a “blighted area” in 1948, demolishing nearly 40 blocks of development, the resulting impact displaced thousands of people from their homes — including more than 10,000 Black residents — and led to the loss of several Russian, Mexican and Filipino businesses in what was once one of the city’s most integrated neighborhoods.

“There were many Russian-owned stores around O’Farrell and Webster, and they just don’t exist anymore,” she said. “All of that disappeared because people didn’t just leave or were forced out, but the redevelopment changed the physical appearance of that neighborhood. Most people think the Richmond has always been a huge Russian neighborhood, but that’s not exactly true. Much of it started in the Fillmore.”

Two customers leave Royal Market Bakery, a Russian-Armenian grocery store in the Richmond District of San Francisco, on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

One focal point of the Russian-speaking community remained, however: the Russian Center on Sutter Street. Built in 1911 and purchased by the community in 1939, the 550-seat ballroom and theater has historically worked to preserve their cultural heritage as they assimilated to life in the city, hosting plays, operas, folk dances, lectures and benefit events in addition to the three-day Russian Festival that is still held every February.

“It was kind of an anchor that pulled people in from both neighborhoods,” said Bogdan.

As the 1940s and 1950s progressed, more of the Russian-speaking community began to gravitate toward the Richmond, including Bogdan’s own parents, who arrived during what came to be known as the largest wave of Russian immigration to San Francisco following World War II. Her father was born in Ukraine when it was part of the Soviet Union, and at the age of 14, he was forced to work in a German labor camp after the country was invaded by Nazis.

Following the war, he lived in a displaced persons camp in Western Europe and eventually made his way to San Francisco, where his older brother was living, and established new roots on 2nd Avenue and Clement Street. Bogdan’s mother and great aunt arrived in the U.S. around the same time by way of Brazil after living in Harbin, a city in China built by Russians prior to the Bolshevik Revolution. Bogdan said her mother and father were introduced through the Russian community, and after exchanging letters, her mother came to San Francisco and they got married in 1959.

Outdoor seating is available at Red Tavern on Clement Street during open hours in the Richmond District of San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

By this time, businesses either owned by or serving Russian people were steadily increasing — among them delis, jewelers, insurance brokers, ballet studios and piano instructors. The Russian Renaissance Restaurant was opened in 1959 by Boris Vertloogin, who served as president of the Russian Center for many years, and the iconic Holy Virgin “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Cathedral that many associate with the Richmond today broke ground in 1961. Designed by architect Oleg Iwanitsky, the place of worship was built with five domes covered in 24-karat gold leaf, and more than 4,000 people gathered in front of it in 1964 for the blessing of the crosses that would be hoisted onto the cathedral, which now towers over Geary’s busy thoroughfare.

It wasn’t the only Russian Orthodox church in the Richmond, however — others began to pop up around the neighborhood and are still standing today, including the Russian Orthodox Parish of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk on 15th and Balboa, Christ the Saviour Church on 12th and Anza and the Russian Orthodox Church of Our Lady of Kazan on 19th and California.

The third wave of immigrants arrived in San Francisco in the 1970s, many of them Russian Jewish refugees who revived efforts to cultivate the neighborhood’s heritage. Globus Books, a Russian bookstore on Balboa Street, opened in 1971 and has been around for 50 years, catering to multiple generations of Russian people in the neighborhood.

Globus Book in the Richmond District of San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2021. The bookstore specializes in Russian books.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the Russian-speaking community in the Richmond continued to expand, and articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Examiner noted the rise in the population at the time, referring to the area as “Little Russia.”

Alex Miretsky, owner of Europa Plus on 18th and Geary, came to San Francisco in 1988 by way of Austria and Italy, where he sought a U.S. refugee visa after he left St. Petersburg five months earlier. The grocery store, named after a popular Moscow radio station, specializes in discounted Russian imports, and he said people come from as far as Fremont and Sacramento to shop there, usually after visiting the cathedral.

“They drive great distances,” he said, “But we also have our regulars who have lived here for years, and many young Americans who are interested in trying the authentic stuff.”

Today, many maps label the strip of Geary Boulevard between 17th and 27th Avenue, where Miretsky’s grocery store is located, with the Little Russia name.

Two customers leave Europa Plus on Geary Boulevard in the Richmond District of San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

“Many businesses are concentrated in the area and were established here because there was already an existing community for many years,” Miretsky said. “[The Little Russia name] is mostly for those outside — for tourists to more easily understand and navigate different parts of the city. But it makes sense, because there’s not a place in San Francisco like this.”

Sandwiched among cotton-candy colored homes, boba shops, Irish pubs and pho restaurants, a number of Russian eateries are still around — Red Tavern on Clement Street, Gourmand Deli, Royal Market, and Moscow and Tbilisi, all of which are on Geary Boulevard. And just about every morning, you’ll find dozens of people lined up outside of a Russian bakery on Balboa Street with a cult following.

Cinderella Bakery and Cafe is a Russian bakery in the Richmond District of San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Open since 1953, Cinderella Bakery and Café is the oldest Russian bakery in the Bay Area, and perhaps the most well-known in San Francisco. Mouthwatering piroshki, baked and fried, as well as boiled vareniki dumplings and borscht soup — often served with a side of crusty rye bread — are all highlights of the menu.

“I didn’t know I would become a baker,” says current proprietor Mike Fishman, flour dusting his navy blue zip-up jacket. “Now we make about a thousand loaves of bread a week and we do everything by hand.”

The recipes, passed down from the original owners, Lydia Repin and Eugenia Belonogoff, are still used today, added Fishman, who started working for the bakery in 1988, when he was 16 years old and had recently moved to the Richmond from Moscow with his parents.

Cinderella Bakery and Cafe owner Mike Fishman holds two loaves of his bakery’s signature rye bread outside his Russian bakery in the Richmond District of San Francisco, on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

“Everyone said coming to this neighborhood meant it would be easier to acclimate, that people would show us around,” said Fishman, who lived at 19th and Clement at the time, adding that Repin and Belonogoff helped show his family around in addition to teaching them how to run the bakery. “When we came, all of Geary was packed with Russian stores and people, who had followed previous friends’ or relatives’ footsteps.”

Today, he believes the neighborhood has seen a shift. There are fewer Russian markets than there once were, and he said many of his former neighbors who were fellow immigrants were either priced out of the Richmond, moved out to nearby suburbs to start families, or journeyed to Silicon Valley to pursue jobs in tech.

Freshly baked loaves of Berlin, top, and rye bread, below, cool on racks at Cinderella Bakery and Cafe, a Russian bakery in the Richmond District of San Francisco,. on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

“It’s a different place than it used to be,” he said. “But we like maintaining this tradition here. People who used to live here when they were kids come back and bring their own kids. … Without places like this, we’d lose Russian heritage that’s been here for close to 100 years.”

Though Cinderella is still eyeing an expansion to a new space on 24th Street in the Mission, which used to be occupied by La Victoria Bakery, the original location isn’t going anywhere. It achieved legacy status in 2017, and two years later, so did New World Market, preserving some of the area’s rich Russian history.

“We’ll never try to pretend to be something else,” said Fudym. “We cook the food people grew up with, and that’s why they keep coming.”

–

It’s Inner Richmond Month at SFGATE. We’ll be diving deep into the neighborhood for the entirety of August as part of a new series where we’ll be highlighting a different corner of San Francisco every month this year.

A woman looks at the produce outside New World Market in the Richmond District of San Francisco on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Some baked and fried piroshkis at Cinderella Bakery and Cafe, a Russian bakery in the Richmond District of San Francisco, on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

A customer orders at the counter of Cinderella Bakery and Cafe, a Russian bakery in the Richmond District of San Francisco, on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

A poppy seed roll is one of the many pastries available at Cinderella Bakery and Cafe, a Russian bakery in the Richmond District of San Francisco, on Aug. 11, 2021.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

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San Francisco CEO works to guard tons of of staff in Ukraine amid risk of Russia assault

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 05:40:39 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — As tensions rise along the Russian border with Ukraine, this is not a wait and see situation for Bay Area companies who have employees working in Ukraine. Some are being moved away from the Russian border.

Ukraine’s 41 and a half million people are well aware of the military buildup along its eastern border with Russia. The threat is a big concern for San Francisco’s JustAnswer. One-third of its workforce — 252 people — live in Ukraine.

“A lot of our engineering, a lot of our critical functions are done there,” said CEO Andy Kurtzig. “So it’s very scary, and even more scary on a personal level because these are all our friends.”

We connected with Nadya Semen, JustAnswer’s country manager based in Lviv near the border with Poland. She believes Russia has already initiated cyberattacks.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

“We are experiencing a set of cyberattacks on different websites and banking system and some governmental websites were down. So it’s weird,” she said.

She has an 18-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. Their safety has already been threatened.

“Two times during class for weeks, I had to pick up my kid from school because someone called that there is a bomb in the school,” she said.

JustAnswer has developed its own action plan. It puts the current threat level at moderate to high because of some military activities. As the threat rises to high and to realized threat, that will initiate more action to protect its workers.

RELATED: Biden says US has reason to believe Russia ‘intends to attack’ Ukraine: ‘I’m convinced’

“We are moving people from the east to the west as we speak and give them time of and putting them up in hotels and then actively helping them move across the country from the more dangerous parts of Ukraine,” CEO Kurtzig said.

Stress levels are rising. School children are drilled about evacuating to shelters, which frightened Nadya’s daughter.

VIDEO: Bay Area Ukrainians worried about Russian invasion, many praying for peace

“She was stressed by that, so she was asking me, ‘When are we supposed to expect the real worst to come here? So why are Russians doing this? Why people are starting to worry? I really can be killed now?'”

Andy Kurtzig and his family lived in Ukraine for six months in 2019, prior to the Russian threat. The people and the culture of Ukraine captivated them.

“We love them,” he said. “We’ve been working with them for a long time, and we’re committed to them.”

As part of that commitment, Kurtzig said he has made arrangements to be able to pay them from Poland, even with cryptocurrency if necessary. He is also supplying them with satellite phones and alternatives if the internet or electricity is lost.

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EUR/USD bears are shifting in with a deal with 1.1305, Russia invasion threat weighing

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 04:23:55 +0000

EUR/USD bears are moving in from the hourly the 38.2% ratio.
1.1305 serves as potential support below current lows.
Russia and central bank sentiments are the driving forces.

EUR/USD is bleeding the initial gains for the day as risk appetite drifts off with the major Asian indexes printing in the red. EUSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.2%, while Japan’s Nikkei lost 2.5%. At 1.1353, the euro is now flat on the day to the US dollar after correcting a significant portion of Friday’s sell-off to a high in the 1.1369’s.

The start of the week is jittery following alarmingly high US inflation readings last week combined with risks of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. US president Joe Biden and Russian president Vladimir Putin talked by phone for an hour on Saturday in what is widely seen as a last-ditch effort to fend off a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The call, however, brought “no fundamental change” to the worsening crisis although the US and Russia have agreed to stay engaged in the coming days according to a senior US official, briefing reporters. The official also told reporters that ”Russia may decide to proceed with military action anyway.”

Meanwhile, there is speculation that the Federal Reserve might raise rates by a full 50 basis points in March with chatter about an emergency inter-meeting hike. That was spurred in part by the timing of a closed Fed Board meeting for Monday, though the event has been presumed routine.

However, not all Fed members are singing from the same hymn sheet. While hawking and St. Louis Fed James Bullard advocated for a 50bps hike at the March meeting, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly played down the need for a half-point move in an interview on Sunday. Daly argued that being too “abrupt and aggressive” on policy could be counter-productive. Fed President James Bullard will be in focus later on Monday, given his recent calls for a more aggressive stance at the Fed, signifying 100 basis points of tightening by June.

US FOMC minutes / Retail Sales in focus

As for other events in the week, the Federal Open Market Committee meeting minutes will be released and traders will be on the lookout for discussions regarding near-term policy plans. Analysts at TD Securities explained that the market will be paying particular attention to plans for balance sheet normalization steps, following the release of the normalization “principles” in Jan.

”The minutes might seem stale, however, given the recent strength in macro data,” the analysts added. Markets will then look to US Retail Sales where an improvement on December’s sharp decline could be supportive to the US dollar.

EUR/USD technical analysis

As illustrated, the euro is on the back foot again, capped by the 38.2% ratio, so far, which leaves the emphasis on the downside and prospects of a bearish extension of the broader trend. 1.1305 serves as potential support below current lows.

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